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The Year of the Cicada Swarm

It's officially spring time and residents from North Carolina to Connecticut are beginning to see these guys in their front yards.

After being underground for 17 years, Magicicada cicadas have emerged again for the first time since 1996 to sow their royal oats. They are known for their shocking, bright red eyes, orange wings, and black bodies.

Not to be confused with the annual cicadas, which are black and green, who prefer to arrive in the summer.

It typically begins in April, once the soil has reached the warmth the cicada nymphs require to dig their way out of the soil.

They then climb the trees...

And begin to shed their exteriors...

Once they emerge, they are adult cicadas.

Ready to take flight with their matured wings.

The cicadas then will move on to mate and nest for the remaining 3 weeks of their lives.

Cicadas are not harmful creatures. They do not bite, sting, or project any poisonous fluids.

Mulching their shells, however, is good for your soil. Chitin helps to retain water and prevent weeds.

However, they can prove to be dangerous to your pets. According to the Humane Socierty, their shells made of chitin, which can clog up the digestive system of your dog if they eat to many.

So what makes them a pest? Their mating calls are impressively loud, reaching 90 decibels, which is comparable to a lawn mower.

The hotter the temperature, the louder the cicada's song will be.

Some songs are so high pitch, humans are unable to hear them.

Your trees will bear the brunt of the damage because female cicadas lay up to 25 eggs in the tiny slits of young branches. They tend to lay eggs in branches that are 1/2 inch in diameter.

Adult cicadas rarely eat, but the the damage to younger trees can be significant due to the weight of hundreds of eggs on the young branches.

You can protect young trees by covering them with mosquito netting.

One good fact about female cicadas is that they target trees that provide food for their nymphs, not your house or garden. Their favorite trees are fruit trees, maple, hickory, birches, and oaks.

That being said, they are arthropods so stay away if you are knowingly allergic to shrimp, lobsters, etc.

Feeling hungry for a snack?

Cicadas actually have some health properties that can make edible by some and their wings used in Chinese herbal remedies.

Their taste has been compared to popcorn, asparagus, and pine nuts. Yummy!

The Cicadas' swarm is bothersome, but thankfully it is also short-lived.

But if their stay is four weeks too long for you, you can ward them off by coating your trees with Bifenthrin insecticides.

In case you've been wondering how to pronounce the word cicada, it's sih-KAH-duh.

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